May 4 (GMM) Kimi Antonelli has written himself into the record books by becoming the first driver ever to convert his first three pole positions into victories.
The 19-year-old now leads the championship by 20 points over teammate George Russell.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali praised the young Italian’s rapid rise. “Grand Prix after Grand Prix, Kimi is proving his worth,” he told Sky Italia.
“The great thing is that he’s becoming more aware of it. And so the higher he goes, the thinner the air, the more you have to know how to breathe.”
Italian media noted the significance of the result given McLaren’s strong upgrade package in Miami. “Kimi has achieved a brilliant feat, like the greats do, namely victory without having the fastest car,” wrote La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Because this weekend marked McLaren’s return.”
Indeed, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted the team was on the back foot in Miami.
“The car wasn’t at the same level of upgrades as perhaps the McLarens,” he said.
“A major update is coming in Canada. We need to make sure that works. On paper, it’s always easy to say: ‘Then we’ll be even faster.’ But that has to actually be the case on the racetrack.”
Wolff also acknowledged Antonelli is still learning.
“We could have saved ourselves the penalty yesterday,” he said. “He’s pushing the limit, but I’d rather have someone driving over the limit than be too cautious.”
At the same time, the Mercedes boss took responsibility for ongoing issues at race starts. “That’s unacceptable if you want to win a World Championship. You have to get the starts right,” Wolff said.
“This is entirely down to the team. It wasn’t the drivers’ fault, it was ours. Both drivers lose out, and that’s unacceptable. We have to get this under control as a team.”
For Russell, Miami was a difficult weekend as the spotlight intensifies.
“It’s certainly not fun,” he said when asked about his growing points deficit. I want to beat him and he wants to beat me,” he said.
“It has been a very difficult time for me. I’m not going to deny that, but I’m still standing here with my head held high. I really haven’t lost the driving. I know this circuit has always been very challenging for me.”
“I’m looking forward to going to some more normal circuits and then looking at what that yields.”
He also rejected suggestions he underestimated his teenage teammate.
“No, no, no, you can’t underestimate him at all,” Russell said. “He’s a fantastic driver, incredibly fast from day one.”
“You can’t win all the championships as a young guy if you don’t have the speed for it. But I’m also optimistic. It was simply a difficult weekend, but we’ve only had four races. There’s still a lot to come.”
Wolff backed his more experienced driver.
“There will always be races where you’re stronger one minute and weaker the next. That can swing back the other way just as quickly,” he said.
“They’re both really good. I’m happy we have them both on the team.”
At McLaren, CEO Zak Brown signalled that the development race is far from over.
“Sure, there’s more to come. But unfortunately, the others will be doing the same,” he said.
“Mercedes didn’t bring any upgrades here yet, so we’ll see what they bring. We still have something up our sleeve as well.”
Finally, Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s improved package in Miami was not enough to challenge for victory.
“Of course not. I finished 40 seconds behind – a spin isn’t 40 seconds,” he said when asked if his early 360-degree pirouette cost him.
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